6/27/2023 0 Comments The power of one courtenayIt's a thick book but I read it easily over a long weekend once I began the novel I wanted to finish it right away. I learned about boxing, cacti, and boarding schools. The physical landscape is beautifully described. The book is well written with strong details. (Courtenay grew up in South Africa, by the way.) I'd be very curious to read something from the Afrikaaner perspective or from a different African perspective. Much of what I know about South Africa comes from Nelson Mandela's autobiography so it was interesting to hear some of the history from a fictional and English perspective. The book encouraged me to learn more about the Boer War and the history of South Africa. Peekay is a young English boy (a rooinek, as the Afrikaaners call him) living in a racially diverse and tense society. At the age of six, Peekay decides that his life's ambition is to become the welterweight champion of the world (that's in boxing) and the rest of the novel follows him as he works to realize this dream. The Power of One is set in South Africa, starting shortly before World War Two, and following approximately fifteen years in the life of our narrator, Peekay. I look forward to reading his others because if this is where he started, he's a talented writer. It's stunning that this was Bryce Courtenay's first novel. I've certainly meant to read it for a long time so this was a satisfying title to cross off my list. The Power of One is one of those books that I really should have read years ago.
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